Springtime for Putin and Equities

Markets don't blink as the Russian ruler takes over Crimea. Yellen's press conference as head of the Fed makes some investors worry about rates.

White House press secretaries ought to come with expiration dates. Nobody can stand up, day after day, to spin the line given them by their boss, no matter how implausible—which applies to whomever is occupying the Oval Office at the time—for more than a few years. And to do so in front of that less-than-congenial crew, the White House press corps, has to be doubly trying. So a presidential spokesperson should be scouting future employment opportunities from day one on the job.